Cigarettes and Steps
by darylscarol
Summary: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR 6X14. Carol x Daryl. Based off the promo video of them when they're sitting on the porch steps. Lots of fluff! Hope you enjoy, don't forget to leave a review! :)
**CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR 6X14.**

 **LIGHT AND FLUFFY CARYL FANFIC. ENJOY, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!**

"Those people you met, the ones in the burnt forest. They took it from you?" asked Carol.

"Yeah," Daryl looked down at his shoes and took a puff of his cigarette.

"You saved them right?" Carol waited for a response but Daryl just kept staring forwards. Carol pinched her lips together and looked away from Daryl to look ahead. "Sorry, that's who you are." Carol paused again. "We're still stuck with that."

Daryl looked at her and examined her face, her expression was emotionless. He hated seeing her like this, not the Carol he knows. "Nah, we ain't. I should'a killed 'em".

Carol looked up to meet his gaze and gave him a half hearted smile, I smile that wore no emotion, before taking another puff of her cigarette that was held in her left hand. She breathed in the smoke deeply and let it engulf her lungs. It helped her relax, made her feel something. She had been using the cigarettes as a distraction from her own thoughts, to help her clear her head. They helped a bit, satisfied a craving, but she was still at one with her own demons. Carol signed heavily and looked down at the concrete beneath where her feet her placed. Daryl placed his hand on her thigh, just above her knee and squeezed gently. Daryl had never been very good at comforting others and always found it awkward but with Carol it was different, she made him feel like no one else had ever done so before. A tingling sensation shot up Daryl's arm as Carol placed her hand under his lifting it up, looping and locking her fingers into his. Daryl hesitantly closed his fingers around her hand. He looked up at her through his fringe before shyly looking away as if he was just a little boy, shy, insecure and lacking confidence. Carol squeezed his hand and caressed his thumb with her own. Her heart began to race, she could feel all the veins in her body become heavy, she could feel each beat and every pulse. For the first time in months, she could feel something. Something that wasn't pain or hurt but something much more and something that was worth living for.

"Ya know those are bad for ya," Daryl said awkwardly breaking the silence. Carol let out a small laugh, and put out her cigarette on the step next to her before discarding it off onto the pavement.

"Says you Pookie," Carol said with a smile on her lips.

"Stop," moaned Daryl as he always did when she used to tease him. Daryl tried to pull his hand from hers as he felt his palms begin to become sweaty. He was never good at being intimate and it made him feel nervous. As he tried to pull away, Carol just squeezed it tighter and placed her other hand over it so his hand was sandwiched in between hers. Daryl threw his finished cigarette onto the pavement to join Carol's discarded one. Daryl wasn't sure where too look, part of him wanted to look her right in her beautiful blue eyes and admit his feelings to her and embrace her but the other part of him, the shy, awkward side of him just wanted to do what he always did and avoid the risk of things developing and he wanted to run from it, from the moment. Carol shuffled closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel that his arm and shoulder was tensed up but he began to relax the longer she stayed in that position. As if her presence alone relaxed him.

"Daryl?" asked Carol, still clutching his hand in her own and head still on his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"I just want to say thank you. Thank you for always being the one who is there for me, looking out for me, protecting me. I wouldn't have made it this far without you," she said nuzzling closer to him.

"I'd do anything for you, I'd die before I let anything happen to you, you know that right?" replied Daryl, surprising himself at his choice of words. Carol nodded against his shoulder. He smelt clean for once, there was still a hint of a pinewood scent mixed in with the smell of his leather jacket, she breathed it in deeply before lifting her head and looking at him. She released one of her hands and lifted it to his face, and began stroking the strands of hair out of his eyes and off his face. She smiled at him. She was home. Daryl was home. He was the only person in the new world that made her feel safe and let all her walls down and just be herself the way she wanted to be. Carol then placed her now free hand on his knee and could feel her cheeks become hot as they began to flush. She looked downwards out of embarrassment. Daryl caught her off guard by placing his hand under her chin and lifting her head up so he could meet her gaze. Daryl smiled back at her and gently ran his thumb over her lower lip, fingers still placed tenderly under her chin. Daryl didn't really know what he was doing or why he was doing it but to him it felt right, the timing, the moment, just everything. He felt so content, despite starting to break up a sweat out of nervousness. Daryl lifted her chin upwards and he lowered his face to meet hers, almost touching, lips hovering gently over one another. Carol felt his breath against her skin, warm and comforting. Daryl planted his lips ever so gently onto hers. He was worried she would break as if she was a china doll. Carol closed her eyes and weaved her arms around his neck drawing him closer, forcing the kiss to become stronger. Daryl placed hovered his hands over her waist, he was scared to touch her, not wanting to invade her space. Carol guided his hand to her waist, breaking up the kiss into a series of smaller ones. The pair broke the kisses with a smile and Daryl rested his forehead against hers, eyes still closed, breathing gently and in time with hers. Daryl pulled Carol into his chest and held her tight, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Neither Carol nor Daryl needed words to tell each other how they felt. What they had was real.


End file.
